Hurricane Milton tracker: Florida hit by 'storm of the century' as Category 3 squall makes landfall

System that rapidly intensified in Gulf of Mexico makes landfall near Siesta Key

Hurricane Milton crashed into the coast of Florida on Wednesday, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene tore a destructive path through south-eastern US, triggering life-threatening storm surges.

The hurricane – downgraded to a Category 3 storm – gathered energy from the Gulf of Mexico's warm waters and threatened to bring a dangerous storm surge.

The National Hurricane Centre reported that it officially made landfall on the west coast of Florida near Siesta Key. Milton triggered tornadoes before it arrived, with unconfirmed reports of fatalities on Florida's east coast. Extreme winds of 165kph were recorded, according to the centre.

Airports in Tampa and Sarasota were closed. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged state residents who had not evacuated to “stay inside and stay off the roads.”

“Flood waters and rushing storm surge are very dangerous,” he added.

President Joe Biden called the hurricane a potentially devastating storm that could be one of the worst to hit Florida in 100 years. “It’s looking like the storm of the century,” he said.

Mr Biden has been in contact with Mr DeSantis offering him his personal phone number for continued contact.

Tidal surges were expected to inundate western Florida's heavily populated and low-lying Gulf Coast.

A hurricane or tropical storm warning has been issued in most of Florida's west coast and parts of the state's east coast are also under hurricane warnings as Milton is expected to remain fairly strong when it crosses the state.

There were dozens of tornado warnings affecting millions of people in central and southern Florida before the storm arrived, with AP reporting one in Fort Myers and another in the Everglades.

Eleven Florida counties around Tampa Bay are under mandatory evacuation orders, affecting about 5.9 million people.

The time to leave or head to shelters closed for many on Wednesday when the storm approached, and curfews have been put into place for many of those counties.

The National Hurricane Centre said “please shelter in place”, because of “extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds”.

Some cities and counties have halted first response operations as worsening weather makes it unsafe for law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services to respond to calls.

Hurricane Milton seen from space

Orlando airport closed

The state's busiest airport, Orlando International, closed on Wednesday morning. Tampa International Airport has already closed, and four others are cancelling flights or closing down operations.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN on Tuesday evening that the storm is “literally catastrophic” and people who “choose to stay” are “going to die”.

She quoted forecasts of a storm surge of up to 4.5 metres, big enough to swallow an entire house, saying it is “not survivable”.

“So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in,” Ms Castor said.

On Wednesday, Mr DeSantis agreed with the fatal sentiment, saying: “Unfortunately, there will be fatalities; I don’t think there’s any way around that.”

Florida and other southern US states are still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.

In the town of Punta Gorda, about 160km south of Tampa, news agencies reported streets were still filled with 1.5-metre piles of soggy furniture, clothing, books, appliances and other rubbish dragged from damaged homes.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Tampa City authorities said they were focused on removing debris from Helene before Milton's arrival.

Florida reels from Hurricane Helene – in pictures

Vice President Kamala Harris said earlier in the week that the storm was predicted to be “historic in terms of how serious and devastating it will be”.

On Monday, the storm became the third most rapidly intensifying Atlantic storm in history, growing from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in less than a day, although it was downgraded to a strong Category 4, then Category 3.

The National Weather Centre said that it expects Milton to continue churning as a major hurricane – being a Category 3 or above – as it crosses Florida.

Milton's power surge and sustained strength is part of a worrying trend, scientists told Reuters, with climate change propelling powerful storms. Weeks before Milton formed, Gulf temperatures reached their warmest level on record for mid-September.

“Watching Milton's strengthening unfold in real time … was still staggering,” Andra Garner of Rowan University in New Jersey told Reuters.

Milton in Mexico

Authorities in the state of Yucatan reported minor damage from Milton as it passed offshore.

Power lines, light poles and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched-roof structures were destroyed, Yucatan Governor Joaquin Diaz said. He did not report any deaths or injuries.